New Music, Make Music, And More
Jimmy Greene, Ben Basile gigs support their latest releases; Alexa Tarantino drops a single
Connecticut saxophone maestro Jimmy Greene and his quintet will be playing shows in New York, Hartford, and Boston this week supporting his new album, As We Are Now, dropping July 25. (Photo by Jimmy Katz, courtesy Jimmy Greene)
As we glide into the first days of summer in the 8495, we have a variety of ways to celebrate the great musical community. Two artists with 8495 roots are showcasing new records with shows in the region, one has just released the first single from hers, and local Make Music organizers are starting to share their plans for the annual summer solstice soiree of community musicians’ skills.
Regional gigs preview Jimmy Greene’s latest: First off, we have three shows this week from saxophonist Jimmy Greene, who will officially be releasing his latest, As We Are Now, on July 25.
“As We Are Now is a poignant musical statement addressing his personal well-being – and to some degree, the collective well-being of his household and community – more than 12 years after his daughter Ana’s life was violently taken at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, CT,” the promo material for the record says.
“At the album’s core is a powerful, emotionally stirring, and deeply personal suite of songs commissioned by Chamber Music America after naming Greene a winner of its Doris Duke Charitable Foundation-funded New Jazz Works grant program in 2023. As Greene states, ‘My emotional path over the past 12 years has not been linear – in my experience, there isn’t a straight line from tragedy to triumph. Instead, I have consistently experienced a range of emotions, over time, that occupy the spectrum between great joy and deep sorrow. I tried to reflect that spectrum of emotion in the composition of the various songs that comprise the suite.’”
Jimmy’s band for the album are no strangers to regional jazz fans – he is joined by pianist Aaron Goldberg, drummer Jonathan Barber, bassist Dezron Douglas, and guitarist Mike Moreno.
The quintet’s pre-release shows for the album span the region from Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center in New York Tuesday, June 10, to Hartford’s Artists Collective Thursday, June 12, to the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA, Saturday, June 14.
Last Benergy release show today: Hudson Valley-based bassist Ben Basile finishes his mini-tour for his new ska jazz collection Benergy at Hutghi’s in Westfield, MA, today at 3; the show (check specifics below) is the last of dates in New Jersey, the Boston area and Ben’s hometown of Poughkeepsie celebrating the album’s release.
Ben recently told 8495Jazz the album is a mixture of his jazz side, by which he is best known at home around Poughkeepsie, and his ska side, which he brings out as the bass player with Big D and the Kids Table.
Make Music Day Is On The Way: Founded in France in 1982, Make Music Day has become a global phenomenon celebrating the summer solstice – but it still often flies under the radar, given its rather informal community-based organization.
So we here at 8495Jazz are putting it on your radar just a little earlier than we might otherwise. There are Make Music Day events scheduled in Westchester County, NY, Boston, and all across Connecticut. Yes, jazz per se is not the most prominent style out there, but there are jazz artists posted, and the entire creative community deserves support on a day like this. Some known highlights include:
Damselfly, a “living room lounge jazz duo bringing you standards and new classics” at the Bethel CT library’s Lincoln Couryard from 11 am – noon.
Waterbury, CT’s Library Park will feature acts of all sorts from noon until 8 pm, including saxophonist Quinn Mitchell (4:30 - 5:30), vocalist Andrea Deyo (4 - 4:30), and R&B vocalist Ben Righter (2:30 - 3).
JC Music in Meriden, CT will also have a daylong schedule, including Tim Dubin, whose saxophone stylings include an electric pickup and guitar effect pedals (11:30 - 12), sax/guitar duo Bill Fischer and Bill Rodriguez (12:30 - 1), and flute-piano duo Jose Garcia and Philomena Nesci, sharing classical duets and peppy jazz tunes (3:30 - 4).
Yonkers (NY) Public Library joins Make Music day for the first time; jazz fans may be interested in the Purchase Brass Trio, who will play an outdoor show of “Baroque to Ragtime to Broadway favorites” from 5 - 6 pm (outdoors if the weather is good).
Every Make Music Day show is free – there may be a tip jar out here and there. Can there be a better way to celebrate the advent of summer? Nope! Keep checking on each community’s web page as the day grows closer. Find your state and click the links.
You can remember Clifford: Just a short road trip north of the 8495, on Thursday night the folks at the Northampton, MA Jazz Festival are presenting the film “Brownie Speaks,” remembrances of trumpet player Clifford Brown, who died in a traffic accident in 1956 at the age of 25. Tickets for the reception, movie, and after-show Q&A with the director, at Northampton Center for the Arts, are here.
Alexa Tarantino’s newest has dropped: A good percentage of the 8495Jazz staff has been assiduously watching for West Hartford native Alexa Tarantino’s latest album on Blue Engine Records to drop. We were rewarded just a couple days ago with the first single, called “Provoking Luck.” The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra saxophonist’s album, also slated for an official July 25 release, is titled The Roar and the Whisper. The single is a groover, folks. Can’t wait for more.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
To alleviate confusion, ticket prices quoted now mention service fees as included or as additional; if fees are not mentioned, there are none to our knowledge. Because fees differ according to ticket type, service fee amounts are not included here but are available on venue web sites.
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Music Mansion, Providence, RI
Dylan Jack Quartet (improv to classic Koko The Clown animation), Friday, June 13. GA $20 advance, $25 day of show, kids 12 and under free.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
Hutghi’s, Westfield, MA
Ben Basile Benergy Album Release Tour, 3 pm. $20 at the door.
Other Shows This Week
Elicit Brewing Co., Manchester, CT
Hartford Jazz Orchestra, Monday, June 9, 7:30 pm. Free.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
“Speak No Evil” Wayne Shorter tribute, Thursday, June 12, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. $10.76 - $20.76.
The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT
Richard Baratta Gotham City Latin Jazz Sextet, Friday, June 13, 8 pm. All ages, GA $49.16, students $22.68 including service fee.
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
The Brighton Beat (Afrobeat/NY jazz, NOLA funk), Friday, June 13, 7:30 pm. Free, $30 suggested donation.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
Clear Audience (combo), today, 5 pm. All ages, GA $10.
Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Dan Weiss Quartet (drums, combo), Friday, June 13, 8:30 pm ($20) and 10 pm ($15). (Note: last show of the Spring Concert Series)
Phinista Cafe, Cambridge, MA
EulipiaJazz Quintet (free jazz improv), Thursday, June 12, 7 pm. $20 suggested donation.
River Room, Willimantic, CT
Zaccai Curtis Quintet (piano, combo), Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 8 pm. GA $49.87 including service fee.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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